Western Stars' former prolific middle order batsman Jeff Richardson has replaced Winston Reid as coach of Somerset Cricket Club's Premier Division side.

Reid decided to step down before the start of the new season.

Richardson, once regarded as one of the Island's hardest hitting batsmen, has been assisting Reid with Somerset's Cup Match team since 1996 and has also been involved last season with the club's league team.

He represented Somerset in the annual mid-summer classic from 1992 to 1996 and toured Kenya with Bermuda's 1994 ICC senior national squad.

During an illustrious career with Stars which spanned 25 years, Richardson won numerous domestic titles and is seen as a valuable asset to the west end club as they seek to build on last season's fifth place finish in the Premier Division.

Of his approach to coaching, Richardson said: "It's more about motivating the players to improve on their league performance last year and to take more pride in their personal performance.

"All that comes with preparation and one of the main things that I will have to instil in my players is that all of the preparation is not necessarily going to take place during their regular training sessions.

"If they want to be average players then fine - two nights training will be sufficient. But if you want to be a better player, then you have to take matters into your own hands and work on your game outside of training.

"So if we can get into some good shape during the pre-season then everything else should basically fall into place. It's all about going back to the basics."

Richardson paid tribute to his predecessor who had been coaching Somerset since 1991.

"Reid has made a tremendous contribution to Somerset and I just hope that I can take things to another level," he said. "He laid the foundation and so it's now up to me to try and take them to the next level.

"I just thought that it was natural progression for me and I believe that I can make a difference."

While Richardson's appointment will usher in a changing of the guard, Reid's decision to step down will close another chapter in the club's history. Reid was the sole member of Randy Horton's 1979 Cup Match winning side still actively involved with the team.

"I am a strong Somerset supporter. Somerset have always been good to me and I will never walk away from cricket. It is a way of life for me," said Reid yesterday. "It's a passion that is stronger than a lot of people will ever imagine and only I would know. I'm very passionate when it comes to cricket and I love this game."

Despite his decision to resign, Reid will continue to assist national coach Mark Harper at the senior national level. The Somerset stalwart is also planning to accompany Somerset on tour early next month to his native homeland, Barbados.

Recalling some of his finest moments at Somerset, Reid said: "The high points have always been in Cup Match - being a part of a victorious Cup Match team. Those were the high points. Watching a Cup Match team grow and finally reach the level where they can compete and win. Those were definitely the high points."

Reid is a former opening batsmen for Somerset's Cup Match team having played in the classic from 1977 to 1988. He finished with an average of 20.29 compiled from 19 innings with a top score of 82. Reid also represented Bermuda during the 1979, `82 and `86 ICC Trophy tournaments.

"It's not a big thing. You have to move on in life," he added.

"Jeff may do things differently, but I'm positively certain that whatever he does differently will be done in the best interests of the team. And the guys are very capable of achieving greater things, therefore if they continue to play as a unit then I don't foresee any problems."